Local-first · Private · Open Source
Your Spellbook
for Thought
Local-first notes with an on-device assistant — no Grimoire cloud account required.
Grimoire is a desktop note-taking app with a built-in assistant: notes, search, and chat stay beside your vault in one window. Default chat runs through Ollama on your machine; your notes live in a local vault database with local indexes for search and the assistant. Export to Markdown from the app when you need plain files.
- Runs on your machine — notes and assistant stay local.
- Markdown-native workspace: core notes, search, and local Ollama chat work offline when optional network features are off. Optional Wikipedia or catalogue flows use the network only when you turn them on.
- Open source under GPL v3; no Grimoire cloud account for your notes.
Pre-built installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux are not available yet — they are on the way. Until then, use GitHub for source and release updates, or see the download page for details.
GPL v3 Local vault on your machine Assistant via Ollama on localhost Optional Wikipedia / bundles — network only if you enable them
At a glance
- What it is
- Local-first desktop notes with Markdown and an on-device assistant (Ollama). Open source under GPL v3.
- Installers
- Pre-built installers may not be published yet — check GitHub Releases or build from source (see the app repository README).
- Source code
- https://github.com/wimpal/Grimoire
- Full documentation
- https://docs.grimoireapp.dev
Machine-readable discovery (llms.txt, sitemap, RSS)
How Grimoire differs in approach
Factual contrasts — not a scorecard against any single product.
Compared with a typical cloud notebook
- Your vault stays on disk you control; sync is your choice, not a product requirement.
- Works without an account; there is no vendor-hosted copy of your notes by default.
- Offline-capable core — your notes stay usable without the network when optional bundled-library features are off; enabling them (e.g. Wikipedia) may use the network for downloads or updates.
Compared with chat in a browser
- Notes are first-class: structure, links, and search stay in one app, not only in a chat transcript.
- The assistant can use your vault context locally instead of living only in a browser tab session.
- No subscription to a hosted model is required; local models (e.g. via Ollama) are optional.
What you get in the app
Capabilities that reinforce the same idea: your notes and assistant stay under your roof.
Private by default
No Grimoire cloud account for your notes: your vault stays on your machine, with local indexes for search and the assistant and default chat through Ollama on localhost. Optional features (such as downloading Wikipedia bundles or a catalogue) use the network only when you enable them. Core use can stay offline; export to Markdown when you want portable files.
Markdown Native
Write in Markdown with a distraction-free editor. Format, link, and organize your thoughts with the syntax you already know.
AI That Knows Your Notes
A built-in assistant powered by Ollama runs entirely on your hardware. Ask questions, summarize, and explore your knowledge — privately.
Open Source, GPL v3
Grimoire is free software. Inspect the code or fork it. Your tools should respect your freedom as much as your privacy.
Why I built it
“A grimoire is a book of spells — but yours holds something more powerful: everything you know.”
I built Grimoire because I believe your second brain should be yours alone. Private by architecture, not by policy.
Ready to begin?
Grimoire is free and open source. Installers are coming soon — watch the repo for releases, or build from source when you are ready.